Charlie's Siren
by Ana Sterling
Summary: Charlie finally meets the girl of his dreams. Only to find out she might not be the girl of his dreams after all. New character.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Hogwarts Again

Charlie thought life was funny. Here he was, seven years after graduation, back at Hogwarts helping his favorite teacher and because he was here now, he was standing in the middle of Hosgsmead with his jacket button caught in a beautiful Slytherin's hair. If you had asked him a month ago where he was going to be, he would have answered any place but where he was standing right now.

He wasn't even sure how it happened. A minute ago, he was walking down the street back towards the school. She was walking towards him. She smiled, he smiled and the next thing you knew he was holding this angelic creature in his arms.

He tried to untangle the button but his hands were too big. All he was doing was pulling her hair. He reached around to get his wand but it was in the wrong pocket and couldn't reach it. "Can you manage your wand?" He asked.

She pulled out her wand and handed it to him. "You better. I might turn your nose purple."

Charlie performed a simple non-verbal spell. He was more reluctant to let her go and so he held on. "Turn my nose purple?" He looked down at her. She had the prettiest green eyes. She looked like she was of age; she couldn't manage a simple spell?

"I'm better at potions than charms." She pulled back from him.

"Wait." Charlie was stalling. She was going to walk away. "Let me buy you a drink."

He saw her hesitate. She had long blond hair that she wore loose down her back. She was maybe five inches shorter than he was. Plus he thought she was absolutely gorgeous.

"For pulling you hair," he added. "Come on. I'll be the perfect gentleman." He reached out his hand and she took it. He led her into the tavern.

There was a table in the back and he took it. Her eyes mesmerized him. "What is your name?"

"Aster."

"Like the flower?"

She smiled.

"I'm Charlie."

"Oh – you're here to help Hagrid with the baby dragons."

"Yeah he has to have a licensed handler supervise them until they can be moved."

The server brought the pitcher of ale and they both reached for it at the same time. Charlie jabbed his fingers into the outside of her hand. "I'm sorry." He looked at her. She looked like she was going to cry. She was holding her hand. He recognized a new burn just barely showing under the sleeve.

"Aster?" He came around and sat down on her side of the bench. He picked up the glass of ice water and held it to the top of her hand. "How come you didn't go get it healed?" Then as quickly as he said it, he thought he knew why. "Sometimes baby dragons can be more dangerous than the adults." He continued sliding the icy glass over her hand. "I have some salve back at Hagrid's. Walk back with me and I'll put some on you."

Charlie led her back to Hagrid's. He wasn't home. Hagrid's hut usually wasn't the most organized place, but now thrown in one of the corners next to an unmade cot was a whole crapload of his stuff. Even one of his dirty t-shirts was strewn across a chair. He was embarrassed. To her credit, she didn't seem to mind. She just moved the t-shirt to the back of the chair and sat down while he searched his things for the burn ointment.

"Okay here it is." He turned to her. She was trying to roll up her sleeve. The burn went almost midway up her forearm. He started dabbing the ointment on it. Everywhere the ointment touched the skin went from red to pink. He heard her sigh. "Is that the only place it got you?"

"No. Here on my side too." She pulled up her shirt. Charlie started dabbing the ointment on her side.

"I have another jar. You can have this one. Just put it on when it starts to get sore again." He looked up at her. He could get lost in her eyes. He closed his eyes. Then the next thing he knew they had started kissing each other. Her lips were so soft. When he realized what was happening, he reached around her and pulled her head closer to him. He touched her lip with his tongue and she opened her mouth. She tasted sweet like candy. She was wonderful. Her hands were on his chest. One of his hands was holding the back of her head the other one went to her face and caressed her jaw. She pushed him.

"I have a boyfriend."

Charlie smiled at her. For some reason he didn't feel threatened at all. "Let me know when you call it off with him because I don't share." He put his head down. Now she was going to leave. He didn't want to let her go. "Can I walk you back?"

"No." He watched her leave.


	2. Chapter 2

Aster sat at the Slytherin table with Blaise. Aster kept thinking, "Baby dragons. Baby dragons." Blaise was too good at reading her mind. If he found out she went to Hogsmeade by herself she would be in a lot of trouble.

She could barely eat. She was reciting potion ingredients in her head. She was trying to remember the potion on page 364 of her advanced potions book when Blaise said to her. "Walk me to the common room."

She looked down at her plate. It was still full. She couldn't remember if she had eaten anything at all. She stood up.

Blaise took her by her hand, but instead of walking her to the common room, he pulled her under the staircase. "Where were you today?" He stared into her eyes.

Kyah thought, "Baby dragons, baby dragons, baby dragons…" and said aloud, "With the babies." Mostly, any way, that's where she was.

He reached down and squeezed her burned hand and she yelped. Then he put his face in her throat. "I want to see you later in the common room."

"Okay."

He let her go and walked back into the dining room.

***

Aster was running towards the baby dragons' cage. She got up late. When she got there the chicken parts and blood were already warmed. She climbed into their cage and sat on the floor. She was feeding them all except for the little one that stayed back. Every time he came to eat, the bigger ones bit him. Eventually when the bigger ones started getting full, she managed to pick the runt up. She backed out of the cage.

Charlie was watching her. He could not believe he saw what he just saw. She turned the little one in her arms. She kissed him on the nose. "Poor little baby." She put him in the little cage that Charlie and Hagrid built for him then she poured the rest of the chicken blood into his very own bowl.

When she rose back up and was safety out of firing range of the baby, Charlie grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into his stomach. "I cannot believe you just did that. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You could have been hurt, really seriously hurt and worse than last time."

Aster put her head down.

"Oh Aster." He turned her around. Charlie kissed her. One arm wrapped around her waist. The other was holding the back of her head. He stopped kissing her. She kept kissing him back. He thought he heard something. He pulled away and whispered in her ear, "Did you break up with your boyfriend yet?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"Yes."

Charlie smiled. He bent down and kissed her.

Hagrid barged in. He never even noticed that they were embracing. "Sorry I'm late." He looked in the little cage. "You caught him. How'd you catch him?" Hagrid bent down and stroked the littlest dragon's back.

Charlie pulled Aster into the yard. He had one of her hands. "Let me know when you break up with him okay?"

Aster nodded.

***

Blaise was sitting next to her in the common room with a group of other Slytherins. He reached over and took a drink of her pumpkin juice.

"Gross." Vincent said.

Aster had had just about enough of their jibes. They were always making fun of her because she didn't know if she was a pure blood or not.

She said, "Blaise tell him you kiss these lips."

Blaise said, "Shut up Aster."

"No."

Blaise pulled her to her feet and slapped her across the face.

She brought her hand up to her face. Everyone in the room started laughing at her.

"I hate you. We are through. I never want to see you again." Aster ran out of the room and down the hallway. She ran out of the school. It was starting to get dark. She ran to the only place she felt welcome. She ran to Hagrid's and the baby dragons.

She flung the door open, opened the gate to their pen and went inside. She sank down to her knees and they surrounded her and started cooing and nuzzling against her. She picked them up and rubbed them against her face. One of them licked her tears.

Charlie was just finishing dinner when he saw Aster run by the window to the dragon hut. "I'm going to check on the babies once more."

"Okay. Sure." Hagrid answered. He was staring at what looked to be some kind of egg that he found in the forbidden forest.

Charlie peeked in the front door. Aster was sitting in the cage again. She was crying. He had never seen anything like it before. The babies were cooing. They were nuzzling her. One of them reached up and pulled her hair. Aster grabbed him and said, "Oh you." She kissed him between his eyes. The baby purred. He had never heard a dragon purr before.

"Aster."

She turned. He saw her face. Someone had hit her. "Come out of there."

She looked down at the dragons and stood up. She backed away. It wasn't until she was through the gate and it was closed that she turned around and looked at Charlie.

He was just staring at her.

She spoke first. "I'm sorry."

"What the hell was that?!"

"Don't yell at me." She started crying. The babies started hissing and smoking.

He pulled her into his chest. "I don't mean to yell. I'm sorry." He pulled her outside and behind the hut. There was a bench in the garden and he pulled her to it.

He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "I have been working with dragons for years. I have never kissed one. I have never heard one purr until now. I have never sat in a cage with baby dragons or had them lick my face. How…" He shook his head. He was trying to remember something that was important before it faded away from him. "How did you get burned?" He was looking at the red mark on her face. He saw images in his head of her being burned. "Oh Aster." He wanted to cry. She was psychic. He pulled her into his chest. The pictures just kept coming. It was like the proverbial floodgate had opened. Suddenly she couldn't stop. She was sobbing into his shoulder. He could only hold her and watch. He saw the boyfriend holding her and burning her. He saw him squeezing her burned hand. He saw him slap her and her break up with him and run away.

Finally, the images started to break up and replay. She was getting a grip on them. "Baby I want to get away from here. What do you say? Do you want to go somewhere?" He felt her nod. "Come on then." He started walking into the forest. He stopped at the edge. "Hold on tight." She gripped his arm. Charlie apparated.

He was in his apartment in Romania. He opened his eyes. It was a little dusty, but it was okay. He looked down. She still had a death grip on his arm. He realized that she had never apparated before only seconds before he realized that she was going to vomit. He pushed her into the lav; she sank down next to the commode and spent the next few seconds dry heaving.

He handed her a wet cloth. She stood up by the sink and rinsed her mouth out.

"Better?" he asked. Something just occurred to him.

She nodded.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen." She might as well have been ten. He was in his apartment with an underage witch.

"I'm almost eighteen."

"How almost?"

"My birthday is Wednesday."

"I guess I can wait a week." He said and he smiled.

"For what?" She was looking at him with her big green eyes.

Charlie stopped smiling. Then just as quickly he pulled her into his arms. "What am I going to do with you? You can't stay here with me. I can't take you back there." There was no way he was taking her back to a boyfriend that burned her to punish her.

"Let me send an owl to my mom."


	3. Chapter 3

This was the first wizard house that Aster had ever been in. She was in Charlie's kid sister's room. She loved it. The curtains had flowers on them. She could swear that she actually could see them growing. She was so tired. She took off her clothes and crawed into the bed and fell asleep.

She awoke to a knock on her door. Before she could say come in, Charlie came in holding a breakfast tray. She smiled. She sat up and pulled the blankets up with her.

Charlie saw her bare shoulders, tripped over his own foot, the tray went flying and he fell in the mess it made.

"Oh my." Aster was trying not to laugh. "Are you okay?"

Charlie sat on the floor next to her bed and just grinned up at her. The milk was all over his shirt and it was dripping. "I guess." He was still looking at her. He wanted to ask her if she had anything on at all, but he couldn't. He stood up and started cleaning himself off. He was looking at the floor. He saw a pair of pink panties. She didn't know it but she was making this difficult. "I guess you better get dressed and come downstairs. I'll make you a new breakfast. Mom said that some of Ginny's things are still in the closet. I bet you could find something…"

Charlie and his mom were in the front room whispering when she got downstairs. Aster snuck passed them and went into the garden.

There were tiny little men walking all over the vegetable garden. They were taking the vegetables. She tried to sense them but they just glared at her. She was afraid that they were going to bite her. She pulled her feet up onto the bench and wrapped her arms around her knees. She sat and quietly watched them pilfering.

When Charlie came outside the little men scattered. He straddled the bench and pulled her back into him and put his hands around her waist. She decided that she could sit here forever. She shot him a picture of the little men. "They are garden pests. When I was a kid we'd come out here and grab them, spin'em around and pitch them over the fence."

"Do they bite?"

"Hmmm, they will." Charlie realized she might have been a little afraid of them. "How come they scare you but not the dragons?"

She shrugged.

He reached up and brushed all of her hair over her right shoulder. He rubbed her neck with his thumb. Then he kissed the back of her neck. Aster tilted her head and he sucked and nibbled on her neck. She put one of her hands on his thighs. His hand on her stomach stretched open and pulled her tighter into him. She put her other hand over it. She wanted to turn around but when she tried to he said, "No stay." He stopped kissing her. "Don't forget. I am taking you out on Wednesday."


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny was standing behind Aster playing with her hair. I definitely think you should wear it up. Let me see what I can do. Ginny moved her wand around and tiny little tendrils gathered themselves up at the back of her head. "That looks lovely."

Aster stood up.

"Okay let me go down and in a minute you go down. I want to see Charlie's face." Ginny grinned and rushed out of the room.

Aster stared at herself. She thought she looked pretty. She was wearing a green dress that went down to her knees. The top part was form fitting. It had long sleeves. She smiled.

She walked out of the room. Charlie was standing at the bottom of the stairs talking to Ginny. He heard a noise and looked up. Aster was true to her name. She looked like a lovely flower floating down the stairs to him. The twins stood up. Ginny and her mom were smiling. Aster made it all the way down the stairs. Charlie was frozen. He didn't move.

Ginny nudged Harry and Harry cleared his throat. George got knocked out of his trance and jabbed Fred in the ribs. Fred hit Charlie in the arm and Charlie stumbled and almost fell over. Charlie saw red.

He turned to hurt Fred, Molly grabbed his upper arm and Aster's and shoved them out the front door. "You look lovely dear. Have a good time."

Charlie stood on the porch stoop and looked at her. "You are gorgeous."

She smiled at him.

Charlie took her hand to lead her out of the yard so he could apparate. He wished he was wearing dress robes or a muggle suit. Why had he decided to wear jeans again? He didn't remember. He was outside of the gate and he was just standing there. He didn't even remember where he was going to take her. He couldn't side-by-side apparate like this. His head was foggy. He'd end up hurting one of them. Aster wrapped her arms around his arm. Suddenly he saw his apartment like a slideshow. He turned and apparated.

He waved his wand and the candles came to life. He looked down at her. She was breathing a little hard, but she seemed like she was okay. "Okay?"

She closed her eyes and gulped in air.

"It gets better every time you do it. I have to get you apparation lessons." He pulled her around so that she was standing in front of him.

Aster opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He fell into her eyes. He closed his eyes. He smelled sea brine and salt. He could hear the sounds of the ocean crashing around him. "Aster?" Where was she? He opened his eyes. He was on a beach. There was sand and waves crashing. There were clouds in the sky. The sky was dark. He looked around. He heard the most beautiful music.

He closed his eyes and opened them again. He was back in his apartment. Her arms were reaching up around his neck. "Aster?" What just happened to him? "Babe?"

"Shhh."

She started kissing him. She was touching the back of his neck. Charlie maneuvered her over to the couch. She leaned backwards and he leaned into her. He could feel her breasts touching his chest. He reached under her dress and put his hand on her upper thigh. Then he pushed it higher to her hip. He didn't feel any panties. He groaned. "Oh baby." He pulled her forwards so that her hips were high on his lap. His hands were under her dress touching her back and her hips. She wasn't wearing a bra either. He reached his hand up to touch her breasts but she leaned forward into his chest. Her arms came down to her sides. Her hands were on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. She put her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Charlie pulled her back and looked at her. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Things were going kind of fast, huh?"

She put her head back on his chest. He felt her nod.

***

Charlie woke up in his bed. Aster was lying across his chest. The blankets were pulled up to her chin. He looked out the window and it was light outside. She was still asleep. He looked back out the window and realized that his mom was going to kill him.


	5. Chapter 5

***

"Charles Edward Weasley! You should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of that poor girl."

"I didn't take advantage of her. We just fell asleep."

His mom lowered her voice. "I did not raise you to treat young women this way."

Charlie had defended himself for the last time. His mom knew every one of his buttons to push. "What difference does it make?" Charlie yelled back, "I love her. I'm going to marry her."

His mom stopped and looked at him. She smiled. "Well does she know that? Have you asked her to marry you?"

***

Charlie and Aster were at Hogwarts. The babies were now big enough to enter a dragon habitat then they would eventually be released back into the wild. Aster picked up each one and kissed it on the nose before she put them in a crate. Hagrid cried. He tried to kiss one of them but it roared at him.

***

Blaise sat on the hill overlooking Hagrid's hut. He was watching Charlie's arm moving up and down Aster's back. So that was where she went to. Well soon enough he would have her back. He was almost done with school now.

***

Charlie had not spent this much time at his mom's since he lived here. He was here every day having breakfast and dinner. Last night he spent the night in his old room. He snuck down the stairs into Ginny's room. She looked like an angel. Today she was dreaming. Her eyes were fluttering and she was making little noises. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

"Hmmm," and said, "The phoenix is flying."

"What? What did you just say?"

"Charlie?" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

He heard his mom yell and he raced down the stairs. There was a snowy owl on the table. She held a note that said, "The phoenix is flying."

Charlie raced back up to Aster. "Get dressed hurry. We have to go."

They followed his mom out the front gate. She turned on her heal and apparated.

Charlie wrapped her arms around his arm. "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."

He apparated them to Harry and Ginny's stoop and opened the door. "You can open your eyes." He walked through the hallway into the kitchen. He knew everyone. He had Aster by the hand. "Everyone this is Aster."

He walked over to the coffee and poured himself and Aster a cup. He took Aster into the study. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Stay in here okay?"

After about third hour, Aster was bored, tired and hungry. She took down one of the old Hogwarts charm books. She decided to turn a table into a chair. All she managed to do was animate it. Now the poor thing was cowering in the corner, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

The door opened and Charlie walked in. He took one look at her face and knew she was angry. Then he saw the table. He smiled at her and put the table back the way it was. "I'm really sorry. It was longer than I thought it would be. Are you starving?"

She didn't answer him.

Charlie said, "Let's head into town and get something to eat." He thought, "Whoa, she was really mad."

They walked outside to the stoop and Charlie apparated into Diagon Alley.

Aster had French onion soup. Charlie had the kidney pie. She hardly said anything at all to him. "Are you still mad at me?"

"How come I had to be by myself? Why didn't you just leave me at home?"

"Aster, somebody was killed and whoever did it put up the dark mark. They were killed in public and in front of muggles. I'm glad I didn't leave you home. I would have been worried sick until I got back to you."

"Who was it? Who was killed?"

"You may know him. He just graduated from Hogwarts this year. He was in your house."

"Who?" Aster asked. Even though she really didn't want to know.

"Vincent Autumn."

"I do know him. How awful. He used to tease me all the time. He was so mean."

"How come he used to tease you?" Charlie couldn't imagine anyone ever teasing her.

"I don't have a family tree. I couldn't prove that I was a pure blood."

"Then how did you get into Slytherin?"

"I asked to be put there."

"Why?" He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to go into that house on purpose.

"Blaise was in that house."

"How did you meet him? You knew him before you went to Hogwarts?"

"Kind of. We used to talk in our dreams."

Charlie lifted up his eyebrows.

Aster didn't say anything else.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie snuck down the hallway to Aster's room. He climbed in bed with her. She was tossing in her sleep. Charlie pulled her close to him. He ran his hand around her temple…

The bedroom faded.

A little girl was sitting on a bed in a Hogwarts' dorm. Sitting across from her was a little boy. They were talking. Charlie looked at the little girl. It was Aster.

He walked closer to them. He couldn't hear what they were saying. He looked at Aster's lips. Did she just say, "Will you be my friend?"

He looked at the little boy. He nodded.

The scene was fading. Now he was in a park. Aster was swinging on a swing. The little boy walked up to her. "You are real."

Aster leaped from the swing and fell on her knees and started crying. The boy laughed at her and walked away. She watched him go.

Charlie bent down by the little girl. Her knees weren't really bleeding that much, she had just scrapped some skin off. "Aster you're okay." She looked up at him. "Come home to me baby." She started to fade and he reached forward and grabbed her wrist.

Charlie was back in bed. He was holding Aster's wrist. He looked up and she was looking at him.

She was pulling away from him. "No you don't." He pulled her into his chest. "Tell me what is going on."

"I don't know. I don't. I'm scared. It scares me."

Aster pulled away again.

"Please baby. I just want to hold you." She crawled into his chest and went to sleep.

When he woke up, she was gone.

***

Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table in his apartment. He was holding his head in his hands. He'd been sitting there for hours. It was dark when he heard the familiar pop of an apparater. Charlie looked up. Aster was standing looking out the living room window.

There were about thirty different emotions running through his head. He didn't know how to deal with them. So he didn't. He stood up and walked into the bedroom. He lay down on his stomach and went to sleep.

Aster saw the sun starting to come up. She lost track of time. She went into the bedroom. He never slept on his stomach. He slept on his back and she slept on his chest. That's just the way it was. She got in bed under the blankets. She didn't touch him.

He felt her climb into bed. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She had a pillow in her arms. She was hugging it to her chest. He touched her arm and she turned around and looked at him. He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. Whatever I did I am so sorry."

"I'm scared."

Charlie pulled her closer to him. "Why are you scared?"

"I don't know."


	7. Chapter 7

***

People were asking questions. The stupid Order. Did they think he didn't know they existed and who they were? He slammed his hands down on the table. The group started talking in whispers and nodding. It was time for a strike against them.

***

Aster apparated into Molly's front yard. She ran through the gate and to the door stoop. She didn't feel comfortable just going in. She knocked. Molly looked through the kitchen window. She opened the door still wiping her hands on a towel. "Aster. Come in. Come in."

"Guess what Molly? I got my license." Aster was smiling.

"Well congratulations. We'll have a mint julep."

Molly walked to her window garden and said, "Oh, I'll need to get some mint out of the garden. I'll be right back."

Aster was still smiling when she felt her heart tug. She looked out the window. There were three people in masks. She watched Molly fall to the ground.

***

Aster looked down and Molly's head was in her lap. "CHARLIE!" She screamed.

***

Charlie heard her and saw the picture of his mom in his head at the same time. He spun on his heal.

He ran through the house and out the back door. There was a man on the ground. He was smoking. He ran to his mom. Aster was crying. "She was attacked."

He touched his mom's face. "She's alive."

He turned and his patronus leapt from his wand. Seconds later, the yard was full of family and hospital attendants.

The aurors wanted to know what happened. Aster just shook her head. "I don't know. I saw her fall. I was in the kitchen." Charlie kept his arm around her.

Ginny came through the front door and squatted down by them. "Mom's going to be fine. She's already awake. She doesn't remember much. They are probably going to keep her a few days."

Charlie closed his eyes and breathed. "Charlie – Harry wants you to have dinner with us tonight." Charlie opened his eyes and nodded. "About 7:30 then. Okay?"

Charlie nodded again.

They stayed on the couch until everyone left. Charlie got up and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. His mom's wand was lying behind the faucet.

He carried it up to her bedroom and laid it on her dresser.

He looked at his mom's clock. All the hands were pointing to imminent danger.

***

He went downstairs and sat on the couch next to Aster. "Do you want to go upstairs and lay down?'

"No. I'm okay."

"What happened here today?"

"I did something. I…"

"Okay start over, from the beginning. You got your license and you came to show mom. Then what?"

"She was going to make a mint julep and she had to get the mint out of the yard. So she went outside." She gulped in air like she was going to cry. "I felt something and I looked out the window. I saw her fall, there were three people with masks standing by her." She took another deep breath. "I ran outside and they were cursing her. I screamed. The man…he started smoking. The other two apparated. Then I called you. I killed him. Somehow I killed him." She put her face in her hands and started crying.

"Baby they were going to kill my mom." He started brushing her hair back behind her shoulder. "Don't cry. No one knows. They all think Mom cursed him."

***

Aster was sleeping on the couch. She was having a nightmare. Charlie reached down and touched her temple.

Aster was in a Hogwarts dorm. She was twirling in the air. Her arms and legs bound together by the full body bind. Blaise was staring at her. He held a piece of cloth in his hand.

"I thought you would have learned by now not to lie to me." With a flick of his wrist, he stopped her from twirling. He reached down and kissed her. "You belong to me. You do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it." He wrapped the cloth over her eyes.

Fire shot out of the end of his wand and he held it under Aster's arm. He was burning her. Charlie tried to move, but he couldn't. Aster didn't make any noise.

Blaise slowly moved the wand up and down her arm until he actually saw blisters forming. "There. Next time…" He reached over and touched her breast through her shirt. "…maybe I'll think of someplace else to burn you." He slapped the arm he just burned. "Now what are the rules? Aster was silent. He slapped her burned arm again. "Maybe I need to turn you over."

"I can't get healed. I can't tell."

"Good." Blaise twitched his wand and she lowered to the bed. He released the body bind and took off her blindfold. He pulled her up by her hair. "Kiss me baby."

She kissed him.

He walked out.

Aster picked up her arm and looked at it. She took off her shirt. Her side was blistered too. She tried to make ice, but she failed. She opened her window to let in the cool breeze. She put on another shirt and sat on the bed. Silent tears ran down her face.

Charlie tried to move again. Finally his feet moved and he kneeled down in front of her. She looked at him. "Aster, baby?" He froze the glass of water that was on her nightstand. He put it on her arm.

"He hurt me."

Charlie kept rubbing the ice along her burned arm. "I know." He already seen these pictures of him burning her.

"I'm not going to do it."

"Do what?" He was looking at her arm.

"Kill people for him."

Charlie looked up at her. "Did he ask you to kill someone?"

"No." Charlie looked back down at her arm. "Not yet." She took the glass out of his hand and took his hands in hers. "Come see."

The picture changed. Charlie and Aster were in a room. People were crowded around the table. Blaise was at the head and he was smiling. He stood up, "Fuck the Order."

"Here, here," the others chanted and glasses clinked together.

"There is only one true race and it is pureblood."

The others started clapping.

Blaise pulled his sleeve up and touched the dark mark. Everyone cringed.

"Death to the blood traitor Weasley family." He roared.

"Death. Death. Death." They were chanting.

The picture changed.

Blaise was sitting on his bed. He was looking at the mark on his arm. He looked up at them and screamed.

***

Aster jerked awake. Charlie pulled back from her as if he got burned. He screamed, "Oh my God." He flung out his wand with his patronus. Then he yanked her off the couch. "Come on. They're coming."

He pulled her up the stairs. He could hear apparators landing in the yard outside. He stopped at the twins room and opened their closet door. Inside were two brooms. He looked at her, shit he knew she couldn't fly. He grabbed one of the brooms. Sat down on it and pulled her into his lap. He lifted the handle and just before they hit the window he blasted it out. "Hang on baby." He went almost straight up into the air and into the clouds.

He landed the broom in the street in front of Ginny's house. "Close your eyes." Charlie led her to the front stoop and through the door. "Okay you can open them now."

His family, except for his mom and dad, were sitting around the table at the kitchen. "We were just attacked at the Burrow."

He sat down at the only chair left and pulled Aster into his lap. "Do you have any ale?" He was shaking. Ginny pushed a bottle of ale in front of him. He took a drink, then he offered it to Aster. She took a sip. "We only had seconds." He took another drink. "They are after the family. We need to contact the Order."

Harry asked, "How do you know this?"

Charlie's grip tightened on Aster. "It only makes sense, first mom, then me."

"But Charlie, how did they know you would be there?" Ginny prodded.

Charlie took a big drink of his ale. "I don't know." He couldn't tell them about Aster.

The room got quiet. Charlie drank down the last of the bottle. Ginny brought him another one.

"Just promise me you'll all be careful."

Ginny made dinner for everyone and eventually they started leaving, everyone except for Charlie and Aster. Charlie was drunk.

Charlie went upstairs and fell asleep in their guest bedroom. Aster stayed in the kitchen. Ginny made coffee and poured them all a cup. Then she sat down next to Harry.

She spoke first. "You know, I don't believe I've ever had one of my brothers tell me a bold face lie before."

Aster traced the lip of her coffee mug. "He was trying to protect me."

"Protect you from what?"

"I have to show you."

Ginny gasped. She grabbed Harry's hand and when she did, Harry saw it too.


	8. Chapter 8

Aster woke up in bed alone. She went downstairs and Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table. His head was on the table. In front of him was a glass of tomato juice.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and looked at him.

"Where is everyone?"

"Work. Uh..my head."

Aster reached across the table and ran her fingers through his hair. "Poor baby." She stood up, went into the sitting room and sat down on the couch.

He followed her and put his head in her lap. "Rub my head again."

Aster started rubbing his head.

"Oh that feels so much better." He looked up into her eyes.

Charlie was sitting in the surf at the beach. He dipped his hand into the water. It was silky and warm. Aster was a few feet away standing on some rocks. He heard music. His head didn't hurt any more. He stood up and walked to her.

"Aster, where are we?" He touched her face. "Where is that music coming from?" He was staring into her face. "Aster?"

"An island. We're on an island."

Charlie reached out and took her hand. He pulled her off the rocks and closer to him. "What is this place?" He looked into her eyes. Her eyes were a deeper green then he'd ever seen them before. He could see his reflection.

"Why are we here?"

Aster shook her head. Her head was fuzzy.

"Where is the music coming from?"

He stared behind her towards the other side of the island. Aster didn't answer. "Sweetheart?" Charlie put her hand down and started walking away. The music was so beautiful he had to see where it was coming from.

The island was beautiful. He looked around and thought that he was probably somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea because he saw date trees. He got to a cliff edge and looked down. There were three beautiful women sitting on the rocks and playing in the water. They were singing. Charlie knew what they were. They were sirens.

He backed away from the edge. He was trying to remember. His head filled with a synopsis: Dangerous, beautiful, the call of the siren, drowning – love, there was something about love, but he couldn't remember what it was. They were singing. Why wasn't he dead?

He turned and ran.

Aster was still standing on the shoreline. "Baby, I want to go home now. Come on, let's go home." He picked up her hand. She blinked. Her focus cleared. She said, "Home?"

He was staring into her face. "Are you okay?"

"That was so pretty. I could have stayed there forever."

Charlie sat up and pulled her into his arms. "I'm glad you came home with me." His head didn't hurt anymore. "He stood up. I'm going to go in the library. If you're hungry, Ginny said that there is cheese and bread in the icebox."

"Okay."

Charlie went into the library. He never cared for any of the Black family, but they kept one hell of a book collection.

He pulled out the first book he came to, "Mythical Beasts and Creatures." It was an old Hogwarts Text.

_The siren is a creature that lives on an isle in Greece. They are most widely known for the havoc that they caused muggle sailors. Magic has now hid their island for over 500 years to keep the muggle population safe. _

_Sirens kill males (muggle and magical alike) that come to close to them by singing. Their song means death to all males except it is believed that those who feel true love are immune to the siren's song. It is unclear if the sirens actually intend to kill anyone. _

_It is not known if any issue has ever resulted between a human male and a siren. Although there is wide belief that Fediculous Ferin's (the greatest wizard psychic in the world) mother was a siren. His father was, of course, a wizard. He was abandoned at birth by his mother, barely weeks later his father comitted suicide. Fediculous Ferin grew up in an orphanage and is said to have achieved powers to bend space before he died at the age of 107._

_The siren is an exceptionally beautiful creature. She is also one of the most psychic creatures in the world._

***

Charlie pulled down a few other books, but they pretty much all said the same thing. He closed the last book. He pretty much had already decided that Aster's mother was a siren. She definitely was beautiful. She definitely was psychic. She somehow took them to the sirens' island in Greece. It was beginning to come together. He was immune to the song of the sirens because he loved one of them and he was pretty sure she loved him.

He got up and went into the kitchen. Aster was thumbing through "Witches Weekly." She looked at him and smiled, "Do you want to go home now?"

"I don't know if it is safe."

"Do you want to go to your apartment?"

"Our apartment?" He smiled at her. She was so beautiful.

She smiled back. He reached out his hand to her.

***


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie was holding both of Aster's hands when they landed in the apartment. At some point, he decided that he was going to ask her to marry him. His family wouldn't care. Bill's wife was part Veela and nobody cared. All he had to do was bend down on his knee and ask.

"_tap tap tap." _There was an owl tapping on his window.

He opened the window and the bird fluttered inside.

"I'm coming over." Ginny

He was looking at Aster smiling at him when he opened the door. He never knew what hit him.

He woke up tied to his bed. Aster was floating over him near the ceiling. Her eyes were covered with a mask. Blaise was standing in the corner.

Charlie looked at him. "I'm going to kill you." Charlie started struggling against the ties.

"Shhh. She's not awake yet." Blaise leaned back and closed his eyes.

Charlie struggled up as far as he could. He looked for his wand. It was still in his pocket. He was tied with non-magical bonds. Damn Blaise was arrogant.

Aster was beginning to wake up.

Blaise touched her face. "Are you awake now baby? I want you to listen to this." Blaise leaned over Charlie and punched him in the mouth. Charlie felt his lip split open.

"You chicken shit son-of-a-bitch."

"Aster never asked me to stop. Not once. Do you want me to stop?" Blaise was smiling at him. He reached down and pushed his finger into Charlie's lip and then brought the bloody finger up to his mouth and sucked on it.

"You sick bastard."

"Maybe."

Blaise brought out his wand. He waved it and a box appeared on the bed. He opened it out and took out some type of appliance. Then he forced Charlie's right arm into it. "This is going to be fun. See as I turn this handle, it is going to turn your arm. It is actually one of my favorite toys. It appears to be quite painful."

Charlie closed his eyes.

"If Aster asks me to stop. I'll stop." He looked up at Aster. "Then it will be her turn." He touched her face. "I'm quite curious how long she'll let you suffer."

Blaise started turning the handle of the machine.

Charlie thought he was doing okay until he heard his elbow pop. "Bastard!"

Aster said, "Stop."

Charlie noticed two things at the same time. Blaise wand was turning into a cat of nine tails whip and his hand was no longer bound in the barbaric torture device.

Aster was lowering to the foot of the bed. She was turning around towards the wall.

Blaise said, "Tell me when to stop and then it will be your turn again." He turned towards Aster. "You know I have to punish you." He moved her hair and started kissing the back of her neck.

Charlie watched him as he eased his hand out of the box. Crap it hurt. He just needed to touch his wand.

Blaise hit Aster with the whip. It drew blood. He hit her again and this time drops of blood flew back and fell on Charlie's white t-shirt and the sheets around him. He almost yelled stop.

Charlie ignored the pain, pulled his arm across his chest and touched his wand. His bonds released. He cursed Blaine and Blaine flew forward into Aster's back.

Charlie released Aster from the body bind and ducked behind the bed. Blaise was shooting curses at him. The room was turning different colors. Charlie felt it get cold. He looked up.

Aster's hair was full of static electricity. Blaise threw a curse at her. Charlie stood up and blocked it with his body. He fell to his knees in front of her. His chest was on fire. He looked down. He was bleeding. "Aster."

Charlie heard her singing. Blaise clothes started smoking. He never had a chance. Charlie saw smoke coming out of his mouth. The music stopped. Aster walked around him and sat on the bed. Charlie crawled to her and put his head in her lap. He coughed up blood.

She put her hands on his head, lifted his head up and looked in his eyes. He tried to say her name.

***

Then they were in the ocean. Charlie was being cradled against her body and some rocks. He could feel the moss and the seaweed. She was washing him with water. Someone else was touching his face. She was crying. "Please don't die."

The sirens pulled Aster away from him and then they pulled him down into the darkness of the sea.

"He dies?"

"No he sleeps."

"Where is she?"

"She cries for him."

"She dies?"

Charlie tried to sit up. He couldn't see. "Aster."

He opened his eyes. He was in St. Mungo's. Aster's head was lying on the mattress by his legs. She was sleeping.

Ginny was sitting in another chair next to him. She got up, went around the bed and nudged Aster. "He's awake."

Ginny smiled at him and she left.

Aster scooted up next to his head. She reached over and touched his face.

He coughed. His chest hurt.

She put her hand under his and he squeezed it. He squeezed back and closed his eyes. _As soon as I can stand up and kneel down, I'm going to ask you to marry me._

_And I'm going to say yes._

Charlie squeezed her hand again and fell asleep.


End file.
